Neurology Commons^™

Fasudil In Combination With Bone Marrow Stromal Cells (Bmscs) Attenuates Alzheimer's Disease-Related Changes Through The Regulation Of The Peripheral Immune System., Jiezhong Yu, Yuqing Yan, Qingfang Gu, Gajendra Kumar, Hongqiang Yu, Yijin Zhao, Chunyun Liu, Ye Gao, Zhi Chai, Jasleen Chumber, Bao-Guo Xiao, Guang-Xian Zhang, Han-Ting Zhang, Yuqiang Jiang, Cun-Gen Ma

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease. Its mechanism is still not clear. Majority of research focused on the central nervous system (CNS) changes, while few studies emphasize on peripheral immune system modulation. Our study aimed to investigate the regulation of the peripheral immune system and its relationship to the severity of the disease after treatment in an AD model of APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1 Tg) mice. APP/PS1 Tg mice (8 months old) were treated with the ROCK-II inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-homo-piperazine (Fasudil) (intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections, 25 mg/kg/day), bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs; caudal vein injections, 1 × 10

Hemostatic Nanoparticles Increase Survival, Mitigate Neuropathology And Alleviate Anxiety In A Rodent Blast Trauma Model, W. Brad Hubbard, Margaret Lashof-Sullivan, Shaylen Greenberg, Carly Norris, Joseph Eck, Erin Lavik, Pamela Vandevord

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Explosions account for 79% of combat related injuries and often lead to polytrauma, a majority of which include blast-induced traumatic brain injuries (bTBI). These injuries lead to internal bleeding in multiple organs and, in the case of bTBI, long term neurological deficits. Currently, there are no treatments for internal bleeding beyond fluid resuscitation and surgery. There is also a dearth of treatments for TBI. We have developed a novel approach using hemostatic nanoparticles that encapsulate an anti-inflammatory, dexamethasone, to stop the bleeding and reduce inflammation after injury. We hypothesize that this will improve not only survival but long term functional …

Brain Herniation Through The Cribriform Plate: Review And Comparison To Encephaloceles In The Same Region., Rabjot Rai, Joe Iwanaga, Marios Loukas, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Herniations of the brain and/or meninges through an opening of the skull often occur through the foramen magnum, e.g., Chiari malformations and encephaloceles. The herniation of brain matter through the cribriform plate is a rare incident and has not been reported frequently. The presence of such an occurrence still requires attention and anatomical understanding. This review will examine the potential causes of cribriform plate herniation and its distinguishability to nasal encephaloceles. The sloping of brain tissue toward potential space/opening in response to elevated pressures in the cranium to accommodate for the added pressure are features seen in herniation. The presence …

Ca2+, Astrocyte Activation And Calcineurin/Nfat Signaling In Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases, Pradoldej Sompol, Christopher M. Norris

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Mounting evidence supports a fundamental role for Ca²⁺ dysregulation in astrocyte activation. Though the activated astrocyte phenotype is complex, cell-type targeting approaches have revealed a number of detrimental roles of activated astrocytes involving neuroinflammation, release of synaptotoxic factors and loss of glutamate regulation. Work from our lab and others has suggested that the Ca²⁺/calmodulin dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin (CN), provides a critical link between Ca²⁺ dysregulation and the activated astrocyte phenotype. A proteolyzed, hyperactivated form of CN appears at high levels in activated astrocytes in both human tissue and rodent tissue around regions of amyloid and …

Enzyme Replacement Therapies: What Is The Best Option?, Azam Safary, Mostafa Akbarzadeh Khiavi, Rahimeh Mousavi, Jaleh Barar, Mohammad Rafi

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Despite many beneficial outcomes of the conventional enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), several limitations such as the high-cost of the treatment and various inadvertent side effects including the occurrence of an immunological response against the infused enzyme and development of resistance to enzymes persist. These issues may limit the desired therapeutic outcomes of a majority of the lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs). Furthermore, the biodistribution of the recombinant enzymes into the target cells within the central nervous system (CNS), bone, cartilage, cornea, and heart still remain unresolved. All these shortcomings necessitate the development of more effective diagnosis and treatment modalities against LSDs. …

A Case Report Of An Enlarged Suboccipital Nerve With Cutaneous Branch., Sasha Lake, Joe Iwanaga, Rod J Oskouian, Marios Loukas, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Variations of the suboccipital nerve are infrequently reported. This nerve derived from the C1 spinal nerve is usually a small branch that primarily innervates the short suboccipital muscles. During the routine dissection of the occipital region in an adult cadaver, a vastly enlarged left-sided suboccipital nerve was identified. The nerve innervated the short suboccipital muscles and overlying semispinalis capitis in normal fashion. However, it continued cranially to end in the overlying skin of the occiput. Although not normally thought to have a cutaneous branch, recalcitrant occipital neuralgia might be due to such a variant branch. Future studies are necessary to …

Mooney Face Stimuli For Visual Perception Research, Caspar M. Schwiedrzik, Lucia Melloni, Aaron Schurger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In 1957, Craig Mooney published a set of human face stimuli to study perceptual closure: the formation of a coherent percept on the basis of minimal visual information. Images of this type, now known as "Mooney faces", are widely used in cognitive psychology and neuroscience because they offer a means of inducing variable perception with constant visuospatial characteristics (they are often not perceived as faces if viewed upside down). Mooney's original set of 40 stimuli has been employed in several studies. However, it is often necessary to use a much larger stimulus set. We created a new set of over …

Superior Cerebellar Arteries Originating From The Posterior Cerebral Arteries But Normal Course Of The Oculomotor Nerves., Dominic Dalip, Joe Iwanaga, Marios Loukas, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The posterior cerebral artery (PCA) is a branch of the terminal part of the basilar artery and perfuses the temporal lobes, midbrain, thalamus, and the posterior inferior portion of the parietal lobes. It is divided into P1-P4 segments. Variations in the P1 segment of the PCA are important to neurosurgeons when performing surgery, for example, on basilar tip aneurysms. We report bilateral superior cerebellar artery (SCA) arising from the P1 segment of the PCA. Such a configuration appears to be uncommon but should be kept in mind by neurosurgeons, neurointerventionalists, and neuroradiologists.

Reversible Manifestations Of Extraparenchymal Neurocysticercosis, Edison M. Campos, Flavius D. Raslau, Robert Salinas, Daniela Di Capua, John T. Slevin, Mauricio F. Villamar

Neurology Faculty Publications

Movement disorders are uncommon manifestations of neurocysticercosis. When present, most are secondary to parenchymal lesions in the basal ganglia. Rarely, movement disorders can occur in racemose/extraparenchymal neurocysticercosis, an aggressive variant frequently associated with cerebrospinal fluid outflow obstruction and hydrocephalus. Appropriate treatment can reverse neurological manifestations.

Role Of Radiosurgery In Arteriovenous Malformations, Syed Ijlal Ahmed, Gohar Javed, Syed Naseeb Uneeb, Syeda Benish Bareeqa, Manaal Haider, Syeda Sana Samar, Armighan Haider Ans, Muhammad Tayyab Shera

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) consist of an abnormal nidus of blood vessels that shunt blood directly from an artery to a vein and thereby bypass an intervening capillary bed. AVMs may be found as an incidental finding. They may be associated with intracranial haemorrhage, seizures, headaches or neurological deficits. There are different treatment options for AVM. These include observation, microsurgery, Stereotactic radio surgery (SRS), endovascular embolization and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).
Methods: Data was collected using searching engines like Pubmed, Google scholar, Embase, Cinahl and Medline. MeSH and Non-MeSH terms were used like Arterio-venous malformations, microsurgery, endovascular embolization.
Results: …

The Significance Of Mgmt Methylation In Glioblastoma Multiforme Prognosis, Aaida Mumtaz Rao, Ayesha Quddusi, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

Methylation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) has been extensively studied as a biomarker in predicting the prognosis of patients with GBM (Glioblastoma multiforme). Its significance has been studied in various subgroups, including age, gender and even race. Correlation between prognosis with MGMT methylation and different treatment regimens has also been studied in detail. There are multiple techniques to analyze MGMT methylation in tumour specimen. We review the current evidence for the importance of MGMT methylation as a biomarker for prognosis in GBM patients, the techniques to analyze it and the effect of epidemiologic factors on its significance.

Factors Affecting Functional Outcome After Decompressive Craniectomy Performed For Traumatic Brain Injury: A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Study, Farid Khan, Arif Villani, Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Ehsan Bari

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Factors affecting functional outcome after decompressive craniectomy (DC) performed for traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain poorly understood.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all patients who underwent primary DC for TBI at our hospital between 2010 and 2014. Multivariate regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of functional outcome and overall survival.
Results: A total of 98 patients with severe (n = 81, 82.6%) or moderate (n = 17, 17.4%) TBI underwent primary DC and were included in this study. The 30-day and overall mortality rates were 15.3% and 25.5%, respectively. At a median follow-up …

Assessment Of Bulbar Function In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Validation Of A Self-Report Scale (Center For Neurologic Study Bulbar Function Scale)., R A Smith, E A Macklin, K J Myers, G L Pattee, K L Goslin, G D Meekins, J R Green, J M Shefner, E P Pioro

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Impaired bulbar functions of speech and swallowing are among the most serious consequences of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Despite this, clinical trials in ALS have rarely emphasized bulbar function as an endpoint. The rater-administered Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) or various quality-of-life measures are commonly used to measure symptomatic benefit. Accordingly, we sought to evaluate the utility of measures specific to bulbar function in ALS.

METHODS: We assessed bulbar functions in 120 patients with ALS, with clinicians first making direct observations of the degree of speech, swallowing and salivation impairment in these subjects. Clinical diagnosis …

Obinutuzumab, A Potent Anti-B-Cell Agent, For Rituximab-Unresponsive Igm Anti-Mag Neuropathy., Goran Rakocevic, Ubaldo E. Martinez-Outshoorn, Marinos C. Dalakas

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Anti-MAG demyelinating neuropathy is difficult to treat. All immunotherapies have failed except for rituximab, a chimeric B-cell–depleting monoclonal antibody against CD20, that helps up to 40% of patients based on 2 controlled and several uncontrolled series.^1,–,3 Because the majority of these patients are left disabled, stronger anti–B-cell agents might be promising.

We describe clinical response and autoantibody changes after treatment with obinutuzumab (Gazyva), a new generation of humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, in 2 patients with anti-MAG neuropathy who continued to worsen despite multiple courses of rituximab. Obinutuzumab, approved for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), exerts greater peripheral and lymphoid B-cell …

Environment, Pollution And Stroke, Maria Khan, Mohammad Wasay

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

Synovial Sarcoma Of Cervicodorsal Spine: A Case Report, Wali Umer Shah, Syeda Dania Shujaat, Naseeb Ullah, Salman Mansoor

Section of Neurology

Synovial sarcoma is a soft-tissue sarcoma. Its involvement of the spine is extremely rare. We report a 40 year old male who presented with shoulder pain and progressive weakness in all four limbs for six months with a visible, slowly growing bulge in his upper back. On examination he had quadriparesis and diffuse sensory deficit. MRI of the cervical spine showed a large soft tissue mass, iso to hypointense, extending into the neural canal, compressing the cord. The mass had a few internal areas of contrast enhancement with extension into the right paraspinal regions involving the vertebral bodies. Sub-periosteal spine …

Duplication Of The Alar Ligaments: A Case Report., Asad Rizvi, Joe Iwanaga, Rod J Oskouian, Marios Loukas, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The alar ligament is one of the two strongest ligaments stabilizing the craniocervical junction. The literature describes many variations of the attachment, insertion, shape, and orientation of the alar ligament and an understanding of these variations is vital as they can lead to altered biomechanics or misinterpretation on imaging. Herein, we report, to our knowledge, the first case of duplication of the alar ligaments and discuss the anatomical variations present in the literature.

Correction To: First Results On Survival From A Large Phase 3 Clinical Trial Of An Autologous Dendritic Cell Vaccine In Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma., Linda M Liau, Keyoumars Ashkan, David D Tran, Jian L Campian, John E Trusheim, Charles S Cobbs, Jason A Heth, Michael Salacz, Sarah Taylor, Stacy D D'Andre, Fabio M Iwamoto, Edward J Dropcho, Yaron A Moshel, Kevin A Walter, Clement P Pillainayagam, Robert Aiken, Rekha Chaudhary, Samuel A Goldlust, Daniela A Bota, Paul Duic, Jai Grewal, Heinrich Elinzano, Steven A Toms, Kevin O Lillehei, Tom Mikkelsen, Tobias Walbert, Steven R Abram, Andrew J Brenner, Steven Brem, Matthew G Ewend, Simon Khagi, Jana Portnow, Lyndon J Kim, William G Loudon, Reid C Thompson, David E Avigan, Karen L Fink, Francois J Geoffroy, Scott Lindhorst, Jose Lutzky, Andrew E Sloan, Gabriele Schackert, Dietmar Krex, Hans-Jorg Meisel, Julian Wu, Raphael P Davis, Christopher Duma, Arnold B Etame, David Mathieu, Santosh Kesari, David Piccioni, Manfred Westphal, David S Baskin, Pamela Z New, Michel Lacroix, Sven-Axel May, Timothy J Pluard, Victor Tse, Richard M Green, John L Villano, Michael Pearlman, Kevin Petrecca, Michael Schulder, Lynne P Taylor, Anthony E Maida, Robert M Prins, Timothy F Cloughesy, Paul Mulholland, Marnix L Bosch

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in the spelling of one of the author names. In this Correction the incorrect and correct author names are indicated and the author name has been updated in the original publication. The authors also reported an error in the Methods section of the original article. In this Correction the incorrect and correct versions of the affected sentence are indicated. The original article has not been updated with regards to the error in the Methods section.

A Variant Origin Of The Carotid Sinus Nerve., Kevlian Andrew, Joe Iwanaga, Marios Loukas, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The carotid sinus nerve is known to convey baroreceptive fibers from the carotid sinus. Despite studies on the baroreflex pathway and the course and communications of the carotid sinus nerve with the surrounding nervous and vascular structures, there have been scant reports on variations in the origin of the carotid sinus nerve (CSN). We identified an unusual origin of the CSN. On the right side of a cadaveric specimen, the CSN was found to arise from two small rami extending from the external laryngeal nerve. Such a case can help better understand various pathways used to monitor the carotid sinus. …

A Variant Of The Sciatic Nerve And Its Clinical Implications., Graham Dupont, Florence Unno, Joe Iwanaga, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Variants of gluteal neural anatomy are important to consider, especially during surgical approaches to the hip. During the routine dissection of the gluteal region, a variant of the sciatic nerve was found where the nerve left the pelvis fully split into its tibial and common fibular components. Intrapelvically and extrapelvically, there was no splitting of the two components by the piriformis muscle. Distally, the two parts of the nerve were draped over the medial and lateral edges of the ischial tuberosity. To avoid iatrogenic injury to the sciatic nerve during invasive or surgical approaches to this region, all possible anatomical …